You Are Here: Management Updates 2003 Archive January 8, 2003

Date: January 8, 2003
Category: Insects
Subject: Grub Insecticides - Which Ones Can We Use?

Grub control remains an issue of concern for most turf managers in the Northeast. Most of my comments recently have centered on the use of Merit (imidacloprid), Mach 2 (halofenozide), and Dylox or Proxol (trichlorfon). This was in part because I mistakenly believed that these were the only products that would be available in 2003 and had shown the ability to reduce grub populations consistently. In other words, I had not been mentioning Sevin (carbaryl) because it has been very inconsistent in our field trials over the years.

However, I just checked with company representatives and confirmed that Turcam (bendiocarb) is still available for 2003 in every state except New York. The existing stock can be purchased and applied (according to label directions) in areas where grub populations persist.

Because some of our readers are from New York state, I must stress the point that Turcam cannot be purchased or used anywhere in New York state.

Merit and Mach 2 are relatively slow-acting but relatively persistent products, and therefore often must be applied before a pest population becomes apparent. Merit often remains active for three or four months after application (depending on timing and local weather conditions). Dylox is very fast-acting (grubs begin to die within a day or two after application in most cases), and breaks down quickly (usually in one or two weeks).

Turcam provides us with an intermediate alternative. Typically it takes five to seven days for the material to begin to kill grubs, and it remains active for five to seven weeks in most situations.

My guess is that supplies of Turcam will be somewhat limited so those of you who are interested in using Turcam in 2003 probably should purchase your supply sooner rather than later. (This is assuming you have an appropriate storage facility with temperatures ranging between 45 and 75 degrees).

- Submitted by: Dr. Pat Vittum